Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, published his paper "Stronger Psychological Strains Increase the Odds of Suicide Death: A Comparison between Suicides and Suicide Attempters" in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry 103:152205. The paper's coauthors were Juncheng Lyu and Long Sun. Dr. Long Sun was a visiting scholar to Buffalo State College in the 2014–2015 academic year.

Zhang Jie, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, and Dwight A. Hennessy, chair and professor of psychology, published their paper "Political Elite Selection in Contemporary Chinese Higher Education" in China: An International Journal 18 (2):143–160. The paper's coauthors were Ling Chai, Jianwen Wei, and Yang Han.

As Black History Month ended and Women's History Month began, Naila Ansari, assistant professor of theater and Africana studies, teamed up with musical artist Drea d'Nur, Grammy award–winning cellist Malcolm Parson, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center to debut an original, moving arrangement of "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

In honor of artist Augusta Savage and dedicated to Stacey Patton, this digital performance reminds people that Black History is "More Than Just February," a slogan created and designed by Buffalo State alumnus Edreys Wajed. The video also highlights the pieces of Nicole Davis, owner of Francí Jewelry and published international jewelry designer.

A special thank-you to Renata Toney, senior marketing communications strategist with the Burchfield Penney.

Credits
Curator: Drea d’Nur
Vocals, Piano: Drea d’Nur
Movement, Choreography: Naila Ansari
Strings: Malcolm Parson

Video: AWR Studios and Ben Mannarino 
Editing: AWR Studios
Lights: Ben Mannarino

The Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Board of Education selected Ramona R. Santa Maria, associate professor of computer information systems, as the first recipient of its newly created Community Connection Award. The award was bestowed during the Board of Education meeting on February 9. For the past decade, Santa Maria has been instrumental in assisting with the development of the district's High School Career Academies. She has helped bridge the connection between secondary and higher education for countless students. In conjunction with district coordinator Nancy Pray, she has arranged field trips and college information sessions at Buffalo State College for Kenmore East and West students. She has gone into high school classrooms to share her knowledge of computers and programming. More information is available on the Ken-Ton School District website.

Andrew D. Nicholls, professor and chair of the History and Social Studies Education Department, published an article, “Echoes from Chloe: John Graves Simcoe and the Upper Canada Slave Act, 1793,” in the winter 2021 issue of Western New York Heritage magazine, Western New York’s illustrated history quarterly, 23 (4): 8–15. The article tells the story of how the cruel return of a young female slave in 1793 from Canada to the United States led to the elimination of slavery in British North America. The British law eventually established Canada as a destination for Black slaves escaping the United States for freedom across the border.

Kerry Renzoni, associate professor of music, has been appointed to a national task force on teaching early childhood music in the time of COVID-19. The task force includes leaders from the National Association for Music Education and the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association. Published guidance documents can be found on the National Association for Music Education website. The task force also holds monthly professional development meetings regarding research, policy, and teaching. More information is available on the group's Facebook page.

Work by Patrice Cathey, director of the Liberty Partnerships Program, has been included in the book Dear Kamala: Women Write to the New Vice President, compiled and edited by Peggy Brooks-Bertram and published by Red Lighting Books, a sister press and distribution partner of Indiana University Press. Over 100 letters and poems were collected from women around the world.

Kirkus Reviews has called it an “ardent testimony to the significance of Harris’ triumph.”

This is Ms. Cathey’s sixth publication. Her prior works are When Poems Take Wings, Nubian Princess, Friends We’ve Never Met, Go Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the New First Lady, and Uncrowned Queens, African American Women Community Builders of Western New York, Vol. 2

Dear Kamala: Women Write to the New Vice President will be available February 2.

Stephen Saracino, professor of metalsmithing in the Art and Design Department, has been invited to give a talk, "Narratives: Ideation Generated for a Troubled Era," on his work at the View Gallery in Old Forge, New York, on Saturday, March 6, from 2:00 to 3:00. The lecture will highlight his series of works that have been exhibited nationally in exhibitions relating to themes of pervasive violence taking place domestically and throughout the world. Download the event poster.

Arjun Pathak, assistant professor of physics, published the peer-reviewed scientific article “Distinctive Exchange Bias and Unusual Memory Effects in Magnetically Compensated Pr0.75Gd0.25ScGe” in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C (JMCC). The article reports the unusual spontaneous magnetic and spintronics properties—properties of electrons to process and store information with high efficiency. JMCC is a high-impact journal. Impact factors measure the quality of the journal. The higher the impact factor, the more highly ranked the journal. Dr. Pathak is the corresponding author of this article.

Dan MacIsaac, Florian Genz (Uni-Köln Physikdidaktik doctoral candidate) and Michael Resvoll (Koln HS physics teacher) published their paper "Learning Physics with Refugee Children in Germany" in the January 2021 issue of The Physics Teacher available from ResearchGate.net.   Their paper describes conducting hands-on physics learning activities with international children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and many of these activities have since been offered within Buffalo State supported and directed online STEM outreach and after school programs at BPS PS45: The International School.